A Lonely Pines is Standing
by Nocturnal Introvert
Summary: Taking place right after the episode, Dipper reflects on how things went in the Time Traveler's Pig. He knew he could've either chosen to break his heart, or Mabel's...could it be he's starting to regret his choice? (A supplement piece to These Things Just Happen.)


There are so many ways it could have all worked out differently. If Wendy hadn't wanted that creature of indeterminable species, if she'd moved just a tiny bit to the left as Dipper threw the baseball, or if Robbie hadn't happened to be eating a snow cone at the exact right place and time, it might not have happened. All Dipper knew was that he was absolutely miserable with how things had turned out. Dipper hadn't been able to scrounge up the courage to ask out the girl of his dreams, so instead someone else had. By far, the worst part was, Dipper had at least a dozen chances to make things work out differently. But, no matter what happened, each time he either messed up or made Mabel miserable. So of course, as so often we must in life, he had to choose. Now the question was, would he break Mabel's heart or break his own?

At the moment, he was beginning to regret his choice. He was /not/ happy with the result. Robbie, his worst enemy, had asked Wendy out. And she said yes. Dipper had a crush on Wendy since day one. Granted, he never actually thought he'd get to date her. But now it was entirely hopeless. He had to watch her fall in love with someone he hated. She was Robbie's girlfriend. His _girlfriend_! Could things possibly get any worse? It wasn't as if Wendy had paid much attention to that jerk beforehand…had she? But now Dipper's time was up. He couldn't change the outcome anymore. Why couldn't Wendy look at him the way she looked at Robbie? Why couldn't he be the one to hold her hand or to kiss her? Would he ever find out if her fiery red hair was as soft as it looked? It just wasn't fair. A jerk like Robbie didn't deserve someone as amazing and beautiful as Wendy. Robbie deserved someone who would give him a taste of his own medicine. He deserved someone rude and cynical, not someone so cool and laidback. Why did it seem like Robbie got to be the one bad guy who actually managed to get the girl? Why couldn't Dipper be the hero who saved Wendy from the villain's evil clutches? Why was nothing ever going his way? It just didn't make any sense! How did this happen? Robbie liked Wendy, and she liked him back. It was more than a little hard to believe.

When Dipper first came to Gravity Falls, Wendy was right behind Grunkle Stan, waiting in the gift shop to meet the long awaited Pines Twins she'd heard so much of (well in the past few weeks anyway). She greeted them by looking up from her magazine, nodding, and grinning. Dipper didn't think much of it at the time. But the longer he thought about her after their initial meeting, the more mysterious and cool she seemed. She didn't talk much, but in her green eyes he could see how calm, thoughtful, and interesting she was. Yeah, she was kind of lazy. But what teenager wasn't at times? And of course, she was also much more tough and hardcore than she came off. When he spent time with her on the roof, the feelings he had suddenly made sense. She offered him a high five, and as he looked into her eyes he felt like he was floating. He only hoped she couldn't hear his heart racing as it threatened to explode out of his thoracic cavity. From that moment on, Could that be considered love at first sight? Wendy wasn't necessarily 'conventionally pretty', her hair too red, her legs too lanky, and her face too marked, but that meant nothing to Dipper. He didn't need a blonde haired, blue eyed model. When Dipper was around Wendy he felt at home, even though he wasn't back in Piedmont with his family. At only age 12, Dipper knew he was in love with Wendy Corduroy.

But then there was Mabel. His twin sister. The one who'd been there for him literally since birth. Granted, it was a bit silly that she would get so upset over a pig...But still. He couldn't stand seeing her like that. It was devastating. Mabel was always so cheerful and bright even in the gloomiest of times. But losing her companion had made her become miserable. And Dipper just couldn't see her like that. And it's not even like she got over it! She stayed upset about losing Waddles for what seemed like forever. No matter how far forward he went into the future, she was still there, missing her pet pig. And Dipper loved her enough to see just how much she loved Waddles. Honestly, it was probably more than Dipper thought he loved Wendy. But still, it hurt.

Dipper had grown up with Mabel and saw her cycle through obsessions. From ages four to seven it was cats, of course. Everything had to have a cat on it, even her breakfast cereal, or she wanted nothing to do with it. So when they got a kitten on their seventh birthday, Mabel was ecstatic. She brought the kitten everywhere with her, even trying to teach it to walk on a leash. But when the cat grew a bit older and didn't enjoy being held so much anymore, and refused to walk on its leash or be hand fed...she began to lose interest. Her next obsession was a teen pop star named Dustin Beaver, but of course that obsession died out within a year or two. From age ten, she began to obsess over knitting. Their grandmother had taught Mabel to knit one day, Mabel making a shabby, small knit cap for their cat that, of course, it would never wear. Ever since then she could always be found with knitting needles in hand, making scarves and hats at first, but then moving on to sweaters. Mabel loved sweaters. From age ten up, she was rarely seen without one on. She made them all herself, well, aside from a few their grandma had made or helped with, and they were her way of expressing herself. This obsession was where Dipper first learned how truly engulfed in her hobbies Mabel was. One day, Dipper accidentally caught some of her yarn in the vacuum while trying to do his chores. A sweater Mabel had been working on began to unravel, and after she found out, she cried for two days straight. Of course, she could fix it or remake it, but she was still inconsolable. To her, nothing she could make would ever be the same as the sweater she had started. From then on, her obsessions, even the fleeting ones, nearly took over her life. She was always found dumping a jar of glitter on something, or adding googly eyes to someone's socks. Everything she did had her flair and creativity (sometimes literally) sewn into it. But, of course, she had gotten over previous obsessions, so why couldn't she get over Waddles? She had even grown bored of their cat...so why couldn't she let go of him? Dipper was dumbfounded.

But, despite his confusion, he couldn't hurt Mabel. It felt awful knowing how things turned out either way, but at least he was hurting now and not her. And Wendy seemed happy enough too. So that was all that mattered….right?

Dipper sighed and sat down on his bed in the attic, Mabel already asleep across from him. Waddles was curled up at her feet, snoring away. He looked over at the pair curiously, still unsure what made Mabel so attached to the swine. Suddenly, Mabel began to stir and mutter in her sleep. Her eyebrows were upturned in fear and sadness, and she was mumbling things that made Dipper know she was having a bad dream. He stood up to wake or comfort her, but before he could he saw Waddles waddle to the top of the bed and crawl under the blankets to cuddle her. Almost immediately, Mabel calmed down and began to smile. In her sleep, she squeezed the pig and held him closer. Waddles let out a quiet snort of joy, and snuggled up against her to fall back asleep. Dipper's eyes widened. Not only did Mabel care about that pig, but it seemed he cared about her too….

Suddenly, Dipper realized something. Nearly the day they arrived in Gravity Falls, Dipper had began his obsession with Wendy. He had been spending his time focused on impressing her and writing up crazy plans and formulas to get her to notice him. The other portion of his time was spent reading the journal and obsessing over the creatures and anomalies mentioned in it. Sure, he still did spend time with Mabel occasionally, but not as much as he used to. And now they were away from home, surrounded by places and people they barely knew. He never considered how **his** obsessions might affect her.

As Mabel cuddled up with Waddles, Dipper smiled to himself. Maybe he had made the right decision.


End file.
